Nantagya Grace SsebanakittaJoel Yawe MasagaziMary Kagoire OchengKyakulumbye Stephen2025-09-282025-09-282025-09-17Ssebanakitta, N. G., Masagazi, J. Y., Masagazi, M. K. & Stephen, K. (2025). Institutional Mediation and Teacher Engagement: A Contextual Model for E-Learning Uptake in Uganda's Universal Secondary Education Schools. East African Journal of Education Studies, 8(3), 574-591. https://doi.org/10.37284/eajes.8.3.3662https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11951/1850Journal article published in the East African Journal of Education Studies by East African Nature & Science OrganisationThis study, titled "Institutional Mediation and Teacher Engagement: A Contextual Model for E-Learning Uptake in Uganda's Universal Secondary Education Schools," investigates the strategies employed by teachers to overcome barriers to e-learning adoption within low-resource educational settings. Specifically, it explores how teachers in Kampala-based USE schools adapt to infrastructural, institutional, and pedagogical challenges, and proposes a contextual model to guide future integration efforts. Guided by the overarching objective to identify teacher-led strategies for navigating e-learning challenges, the study employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, combining quantitative data from 393 teachers and qualitative insights from 10 headteachers across all USE schools in Kampala City. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, with rigorous procedures to ensure validity, trustworthiness, and triangulation. The findings reveal that teachers employed a combination of personal, peer-based, and institutionally facilitated strategies, including the use of personal devices, offline content sharing, peer mentorship, rotational scheduling, and community-supported ICT resource mobilization. Despite their creativity and adaptability, these coping mechanisms were often fragmented, inconsistent, and dependent on individual initiative rather than system-wide planning. Qualitative insights underscored the critical role of empathetic leadership, flexible budgeting, and informal CPD structures in supporting these grassroots innovations. Drawing on Constructivism, Connectivism, Technology-Mediated Learning Theory (TMLT), and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), the study developed the Institutionally Mediated E-Learning Uptake Model (IMELUM). This model highlights the dynamic interplay between infrastructural readiness, leadership support, teacher competence, and institutional culture as key mediators of sustainable e-learning engagement. The study concludes that while teacher-led coping strategies are commendable, they are insufficient without systemic institutional support, strategic policy alignment, and sustained investment. It recommends formalizing grassroots innovations into national digital education frameworks, strengthening school-level professional development, and incentivizing collaborative partnerships. Suggested directions for further research include: evaluating the long-term impact of peer mentorship on e-learning competence, assessing the role of institutional leadership in sustaining digital transformation, and investigating scalable funding models for ICT integration in secondary schools.enE-Learning UptakeInstitutional ReadinessTeacher EngagementUniversal Secondary Education (USE)Digital Competence.Article